Gov. Josh Shapiro and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy together in Scranton on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Commonwealth Media Services)
In what feels like a strange echo of 2019, investigations into the White House’s relationship with Ukraine are being opened and calls have been made for an ambassador to resign. But this time, it’s Republicans investigating a Democratic administration, and Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. (not the other way around) who is under scrutiny.
On Sunday, Gov. Josh Shapiro gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a tour of an ammunition plant in Scranton that produces 155-millimeter howitzer rounds, which are key to Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself from Russia’s invasion. Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Matt Cartwright, both Pennsylvania Democrats fighting for re-election, were also present.
Now, some high-ranking Republican members of Congress are crying foul, saying the visit effectively amounted to a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote a letter to Zelenskyy demanding that he fire Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova over the visit.
“The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because – on purpose – no Republicans were invited,” Johnson wrote. “The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference.”
Johnson’s demand comes as House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) announced that he will investigate ”whether the Biden-Harris administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power.”
A spokesperson for Shapiro did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did a spokesperson for the Harris campaign.
This is not the first time Zelenskyy has found himself at the center of a U.S. investigation into potential presidential abuse of power. Comer’s letter announcing his investigation opens with a reference to the 2019 impeachment of then-President Donald Trump over allegations that he threatened to withhold funding for Ukraine until the country investigated the Biden family. Trump was ultimately acquitted by a Republican-majority Senate.
During this election cycle, support for Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia has become a key issue dividing the candidates. Harris has made clear that she believes the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine. Trump, who has previously praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said that he will end the war, though offered few details on how. His running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), previously criticized U.S. support for Ukraine. More recently he unveiled a “peace plan” to end the war that critics say is overly-deferential to Russia.
Pennsylvania has the second highest number of Ukrainians of any state as a percentage of total population.